Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai
by Saotome Akane
Summary: After the failed wedding Ranma realizes his true feelings for Akane. Thinking that she will never love him, he decides to leave. How will she react when she finds the note he left her? Definitly an RA ending!
1. Prologue

Konnichiwa Minna! This is my first story so it might not be that good. Let me know what you think, because I am also in the middle of writing my own book and I want to know what everyone thinks about my writing (plus I need encouragement ). In case you didn't know the title means "Life without being in love has no meaning to me" (at least that's how I translate it) which is one of the lines from one of the best songs of all time: Little Date. Well, I think you have the general idea so I'll just shut up and let you read.  
  
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It was a tranquil night in Nerima. Gentle wind breezed through the treetops, but only as if it was trying to confirm its existence. The sky was crystalline, without a hint of a single cloud. It was illuminated by billions of bright stars each one trying to outshine the other. The moon, a tiny crescent, however filled the night with a sense of melancholy, because just like it would soon disappear an important person would vanish from Nerima. Perhaps forever.  
  
He was sitting on the roof of the Tendo household still in his stained, white tuxedo. The wedding was a failure just like he predicted. Their senseless fathers could have just arranged a quiet ceremony somewhere in the mountains, but no, they had to make it public. Nabiki didn't help at all by inviting all of the infamous wrecking crew along. Someday. Someday he would take revenge on all of them for destroying his life. He clenched his fists in anger at the mere thought of them.  
  
And why did that old pervert have to take the barrel of Nannichuan and drink it all? Now his all chances of becoming a complete man were as good as gone. He realized that Akane only married him (or at least tried to), so that he could get the water from the Nannichuan and not because she loved him. It was easy to figure, since she did not say anything at Jusenkyo when he admitted his love to her. But maybe she just didn't hear him? No, that was impossible. She mentioned it before the ceremony, but he, like a complete idiot, denied it. So, even if she did love... No, like him then his chances would be demolished. Why did he always put his foot on his mouth?!  
  
He loved her, even though he would never admit it, not even to himself. But deep, deep down he knew, he always knew. The way she smiled at him when she was happy, the way she fought off all her suitors and his fiancées, even the way she malleted him to various parts of Nerima, that was only a couple of things he adored about Akane. None of his insults were really meant to hurt her feelings. They were just... Even he didn't have an explanation for them. Who would?  
  
Akane, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She always called him a hentai and a baka and malleted him for no reason whatsoever. On second though, he knew he had brought it on himself. She had every reason to call him a hentai, not because he really was perverted, but because there were numerous times when he took advantage of his curse, but that was all for a good reason, like the time he tried to sneak into the girls' locker room to find the Nannichuan. It was not like he actually enjoyed being turned into a girl, especially with the pigtailed goddess crap that Kuno always gave him. He shuddered at the thought. Akane had always acted as if his curse disgusted her and in some ways, she was absolutely right. Who would want to be engaged to a sex-changing freak anyway? If only he'd gotten to the barrel before the old pervert!  
  
It was too late now. To protect Akane he had to disappear from Nerima. Her life would be easier without him, the perverted idiot. Hopefully the fiancée horde would leave her alone and follow him. There was only one problem, its name was Ryouga. If he left, then that pig-pervert would surely take advantage of Akane, if he found his way to the dojo, that is. Maybe if he saw bacon-breath somewhere on his way, he'd give him a beating that empty his head of thoughts of Akane. Akane... His every thought was of her ever since he realized he loved, no liked her. Even martial arts didn't seem so important anymore. Leaving her would be the hardest decision he ever had to make in his life.  
  
A small, crystal clear tear escaped from his eyes and traveled slowly and steadily down his cheek. He knew that martial artists don't cry, nevertheless he would soon make the greatest sacrifice ever for the woman he lo... He still couldn't say it. A life without Akane just wasn't worth living, but he would get over it someday. He'd practice to become a better martial artist and... What could he do except for martial arts? Training was one of the few things he actually loved to do. His only goal was to become the best martial artist and that would be enough. But was it really?  
  
He pulled out a piece of paper from one of his pockets and a pen. He knew he had to write some kind of an explanation, so Akane would at least forgive him. His handwriting, which was always perfectly lined up and neat, was messy and disordered, but he did not care. Would Akane care? No. Probably not, she never cared about anything he did. At least that's how she acted.  
  
He stood up and looked at the note he was writing. He re-read it over:  
  
_Dear Akane,  
  
I'm tired of all the chaos in my life, three fiancées, multiple suitors, not to mention Kuno. I'm tired of our fathers forcing us into a marriage you don't want. I have to leave to end this chaos; coming back will not be an option. Please forgive for all the pain I have caused you; I truly didn't mean any of it. You are not a kawaiikunee, or a macho chick, or irokeganee, and even if you are a tomboy that's one of the things that I love about you. I also want to say that when I occasionally, and rarely said that you are cute, I really meant it. To tell you the truth, I love you. Even though I know that my love will never be returned, because you despise me. I guess it's all my fault for putting you down all the time and taunting you. I know I was wrong, but all I ask for is your forgiveness. I hope that when I leave you, your life will be a lot easier.  
  
Yours Forever,  
  
Ranma_  
  
It sounded good enough, even though he thought he should have added Sincerely instead of Yours Forever. It was too late though, he would love Akane forever. Despite his solemn mood, he suddenly smiled. It took him more that a year, but he finally admitted it! He finally admitted that he loved Akane! If she got mad and tried to mallet him into Earth's orbit, at least he would be far away by then.  
  
But before he took off, he wanted to do just one more thing. He wanted to gaze at her gentle face last more time and leave her the note. He quietly tiptoed across the roof and looked into her window. She was sleeping peacefully, but he could see that she was crying for a long time. The tears were still visible on the ends of her eyelashes, her face was red, and not to mention that those tears also enveloped her drenched face. At that moment, he almost pitied her.  
  
Ranma drew a breath and stepped into her room...  
  
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A real cliffhanger, ne? Don't worry, this is just the prologue. And if you don't like sad, suffering stories don't worry. I have a LOT of funny parts planned for the rest of it, 'cause that's how I normally write. There will only be about 2 or 3 sad chapters like this one (they will be longer though). And I know a lot of you might not want to read this, 'cause Ranma is leaving, and even though he WILL leave and nothing you can say will change my mind, I promise for all you RA fans that there will be a happy ending! I just want to make everyone suffer a bit, I'm evil, ne? One more thing. All of us know that Akane and Ranma love each other, but since this fic is written in third person limited point of view I said that Akane does not love Ranma, because that is what HE thinks. I'll try to use third person omniscient for the rest of the story though. Please be kind and leave a review so that I know people are reading my story, because if I get no reviews I won't write anymore, plus my heart will be shattered into a million pieces and you don't want that, do you?  
  
Sneak Peek at Chapter 1: Ranma tries to find the courage to leave Akane, possibly forever. How will Akane react when she finds his note? 


	2. CH 1: I leave, but my love will stay

I am back!!! So, does everyone like my story so far? Like I mentioned in the Prologue there will be a couple of depressing chapters where Akane and Ranma will suffer, and this is one of them. I am not doing this because I am sadistic in any way, but because it will just be a lot more interesting that way. And yeah, I changed that summary 'cause that other one sucked, badly. Well, let the story begin...  
  
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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 1: I leave, but my love will stay forever.  
**  
Ranma drew a breath and stepped into her room...  
  
He silently drifted across the floor to where her sleeping from lay on the very edge of her bed. She has already changed out of her western-style wedding dress into her yellow pajamas. Even though Akane looked serene, there was something wrong about the expression her face wore. It was full of contempt, which Ranma was more that certain supposed to be meant for him. Her tear drenched face however filled his heart with pity. No, that emotion was beyond pity, it was more of a sympathetic feeling that could have only been described as love.

Ranma surveyed her tear-drenched face carefully. He never realized how lovely Akane looked when she slept. Even the tears didn't cover up her beauty. She was just so... Unfortunately that thought never came, because at that very moment Akane's fist propelled straight into Ranma's jaw.

He swiftly dodged that punch and jumped back, afraid that he might have awakened her. However, there she was sleeping as peaceful as an angel. Ranma was unsure if it had all been an illusion. Either that, or Akane punched him in her sleep. If he was going to spend even one more minute in that room, he had to be careful. Poor Ryouga, he had to put up with that almost every night.

Ranma looked at Akane's face again. How could he have ever called that girl uncute? Akane wasn't just cute, she was divine. Of course, if she were awake, he would have probably told her that she was an ugly macho chick, but she wasn't. This was his moment and his alone and he had to make the best. By now, Ranma was almost sure that that was his and Akane's last moments together.

He sighed audibly and almost kicked himself when Akane groaned loudly and almost opened her eyes. "Ranma..." she mumbled in her sleep. Was she dreaming about him? "...No baka", she continued. He should have guessed, she was still mad at him. She had every right to be. Ranma heard somewhere that the wedding day was the most important day in a girl's life, and if it was, he was the one that ruined it. That proved he was unworthy of Akane. Akane punched the air again, and Ranma dodged the attack, but just barely. He was in no mood to spar, especially with a sleeping Akane. Deciding that more thinking will delay his chances to ever get out of that room alive, Ranma quietly placed his note on her desk without further ado.

There was just one more thing he wanted to do before leaving Akane. In the past, it was either interrupted by someone else, or it just wasn't real. Would it feel real this time? There was only one way to find out. He leaned in and gave her a soft and gentle kiss on her lips. Was he imagining it, or did Akane's worried expression changed for just a moment? It looked like a tiny smile entered her face for a fraction of a second, but it might have just been a hallucination. She rolled over, but did not open her eyes. Ranma smiled to himself, the warm feeling of Akane's lips still lingered in his mind.

He looked at the clock; it was almost 5:00 a.m.. Soon Akane would be out on one of her morning jogs. If he wanted to leave, he had to hurry. He soundlessly leaped back in the window and took one last look at Akane.

"Good-bye Akane", he whispered, "Aishiteru." He climbed out of Akane's window and quietly jumped into the next one, which was the window to the guest room where his father and he resided. Ranma ignored the loud snoring of the drunken panda and grabbed a small sack out of the corner of the room. He recklessly threw all of his Chinese shirts and pants into the sack and walked out of the room, this time not trying to stifle the sounds of his footsteps since his drunk panda father would not wake up even if a hurricane blew right through the window.

Ranma wandered through the house. He stopped to look at the dojo. Even though it was a disaster, it still reminded him of all the good times he and Akane had together. Like the first time he told her that her smile was cute, and why did she look so surprised? Was it because he knocked her down right after that, or because she was not expecting him to say anything like that to her? May be if he had acted differently over the year they had spent together, Akane might have grown to like him. But it was too late. Ranma sighed, and darted from the dojo without looking back.

He ran out of the Tendo household, out of Nerima. He ran faster and faster leaving the past and all of its memories behind. Heartwarming memories, horrible memories, memories of Akane, memories of his other fiancées, and of course memories of his curse. All of them seemed to vanish as he ran further into the wilderness. Ranma didn't know how, but he had to get to China one way or another. He had to find the Nannichuan. It was the only way he would ever become a complete man and finally have a clean conscience. With that thought, Ranma's running form receded into the night. He was gone. Gone forever.  
  
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Sorry, I said that I would include the next morning as part of this chapter, but I thought is sounded a lot better this way. In addition, I just want to make one thing clear. When I said that Ranma's memories were vanishing, I meant it figuratively, not literally. His wasn't forgetting anything; they just didn't seem to matter so much anymore. One more thing, I will not be updating as much anymore, because my parents took my PC away. Please review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is also welcomed.  
  
P.S. Thank you so much for all of your reviews!!! They make me feel honored and overjoyed since people are reading my story.  
  
Sneak Peak at Chapter 2:Akane finds Ranma's note, what will she do? And will Ranma ever come back?


	3. CH 2: Love that was left behind

Summer vacation is almost here!!! Is everybody excited? Even though school will be over, I will have absolutely nothing to do except going on-line. So, if anyone is interested in becoming my e-mail/IM friend for the summer (and maybe even longer) please e-mail me privately to (or say so in your review). I would really love to have a friend who likes anime and especially Ranma ½ (I only have one, but even she barely knows about anything in those categories). By the way, since I will have more free time, I'll try to write more and my chapters will come out sooner.  
  
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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 2: Love that was left behind.**  
  
Unlike the night before, the next morning brought a sense of discomfort rather than peace. The gentle wind was not so gentle anymore. It was blowing the tree trunks so severely that they were almost ripped out of the damp, morning earth. Once completing its mission of successfully knocking down one tree, the great force receded. Instead, it softly whispered "Come Back! She still needs you!" into the nothingness of the cold morning air. Dark, menacing clouds formed in the sky, it was going to rain. Hard. The day was so horrifying, even the sun was not bothering to come out leaving the world in almost complete darkness. However, it was not the solemn weather that would affect everyone, it would be the fact that the greatest martial artist in the history of Japan left... forever.  
  
That morning Akane woke up with a strange feeling, it was a feeling of uneasiness, a feeling that something was terribly wrong, but where did it come from? Maybe it was just an aftermath of the wedding, but it felt new, like she had never felt anything so heartbreaking before.  
  
She sat up in her bed. Memories from last night's dream came flooding back to her and she blushed at the thought. The dream was absurd, but strangely pleasant. In it, Ranma had sneaked into her room and kissed her. It was just a soft gentle kiss, though it was filled with love. Yet, Akane knew it was too good to be true. But that kiss felt so real... she shook the thought out of her head, that jerk would never kiss her by his own free will, he didn't love her, or did he?  
  
After she had almost died at Jusenkyo, Akane was almost sure that Ranma felt something for her, but that idiot denied it before the wedding. Maybe Ranma was just afraid that she didn't love him back, but that wasn't true. Akane was not sure if it was love or not, but every time he was near her, she felt her heart flooding with an unexplained emotion she did not know about. Maybe it was just anger. Besides who could ever love an insensitive jerk like him?  
  
With that thought, Akane got up from bed and changed into her school uniform. She didn't notice that the house was unusually still and silent for this time of the day. She didn't notice that no sounds came from the koi pond where Ranma and his father sparred each day, she was just lost in her own little fantasy involving her and Ranma who was beaten up to a bloody pulp. On her way out, Akane did not even look at her desk, nor did she notice Ranma's note. She had absolutely no idea that Ranma was gone, but she would soon find that out.  
  
When she went into the kitchen, the delicious breakfast was already made, however Kasumi was not wearing one of her trademark smiles, instead she looked worried about something, but what?  
  
"Kasumi-oneechan, is anything wrong? You look troubled. " Akane inquired  
  
"It's Ranma" Kasumi replied staring into nothingness, "He left"  
  
Akane gasped in horror, she knew the wedding was a complete and horrifying disaster. However, Ranma was... well he was Ranma and Akane knew he would never do anything like that. Still, her heart always knew that someday Ranma will find a way to rid himself of the chaos in his life, but the idea of simply running away never seemed like one of the options that Ranma would think of.  
  
Akane tried to bottle out the anger she felt rising within her, but instead spat out: "Like I care! If that coward is gone, well, that's his problem. Stupid baka, he can't even face up to his problems without running away!" Okay, so bottling up her anger didn't work, but at that moment she was mad, no she was more than just mad. Akane was completely enraged at Ranma, for leaving her just when she needed his comfort, for letting her be at the mercy of the raging fiancée horde, for everything. Kasumi, however, interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Akane, there is no use at getting mad at him. Ranma is not coming back and I'm sure he had a good reason to leave." Akane opened her mouth to blurt out another series of insults, Kasumi, however, continued speaking anyway. "If you're going to ask how I know that he's not coming back, look into his room, all of his belongings and clothes are gone" she said with the kindest voice she could manage in that situation.  
  
Akane's sanity started coming back to her. She believed every word her older sister had said, but she dashed into the guest room nonetheless just to see if maybe, just maybe Ranma left something behind. An important item. Something that he would need to return for, perhaps even stay for.  
  
When she finally reached the room though, Akane found out that their two foolish fathers were already inside arguing about something. Akane swiftly slid behind the screen door, since she did not want to disturb their conversation, or worse, become a part of it herself. Not noticing her presence, they continued to ramble on.  
  
"Your son is not a man! A true man would never abandon his fiancée, especially right after their wedding!" roared the mad voce of her father  
  
"A failed wedding you mean," Corrected Genma Saotome, "the ceremony never happened. I knew it was a horrible plan from the beginning; they have always hated each other. It was just plain stupid of us to force them into the marriage, even or the sake of our schools. "  
  
"But running away is not a suitable decision for the problem!" Soun continued, "We must do something!"  
  
Genma interrupted, "There is absolutely nothing that can be done! The boy is gone, so who cares?"  
  
Just as Akane suspected, right at that moment her over-emotional father's waterworks began to flow, leaving him weeping on the floor in front of Ranma's father. How could he dare to even say anything about Ranma being unmanly, when he broke down in tears at the slightest sign of a threat.  
  
"Now the schools will never be united, our legacy will remain lost forever!", he wailed, "The engagement is off! I'll find someone more suitable than your coward son to marry my daughters, maybe someone like..."  
  
Unfortunately, Akane had never gotten to hear the end of her father's speech. She could not take it anymore. She rushed out of the house, past a surprised Kasumi.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed as Akane ran right past her, "I don't think she's taking Ranma's disappearance well."  
  
Meanwhile, outside the menacing clouds finally reached their ultimate size and burst out with a sudden thunderstorm. Akane was soaked before she knew it, but she did not care. At that very moment, she was fuming with rage. How could they cancel the engagement just like that? Of course, Ranma would be absolutely delighted to hear that he was not engaged to an uncute tomboy anymore, but he was far, far away by now.  
  
In a peculiar way, it was as if the engagement broke when Ranma left, but she did not want to acknowledge that fact. She still didn't want to believe that it was over. Just thinking that made her heart filled with sorrow and hurt.  
  
Akane looked at her watch. "Damn!" she muttered under her breath, she was late for school. She hopped into the street and started running faster and faster trying to escape from her problems. She looked up at the fence half-hoping that Ranma would be there, running along with her. All she saw was darkness.  
  
As Akane neared the school gates, she was greeted with a familiar sight, too familiar for her. "My dearest Akane," Kuno declared standing before her with a bouquet of red roses, "Now that thou is free from marrying the vile sorcerer Saotome, you, the pig-tailed goddess, and I, Upperclassman Kuno shall live together in perfect peace and harmony forever!"  
  
Little did he know that today Akane was in absolutely no mood to hear his little Shakespearian speech. Instead of at least listening to the rubbish he had to say next, she sent Kuno, as well a his flowers flying into the air and out of the vicinity with her trusted mallet-sama.  
  
"Surely, the evil sorcerer Saotome has bewitched the precious Akane to turn against me. Oh, to what extent will he go to keep Upperclassman Kuno reunited with his one and only true love?!" thought Kuno to himself just as he landed in Osaka, before going into a deep coma.  
  
The rest of the school day was mostly spent peacefully due to the lack of fights and challenges Ranma always brought upon himself. Akane tried not to think of him during the teachers' lectures, but thoughts of him slowly, but steadily crawled into the mind nonetheless. She couldn't even bear to look at his seat, which was now empty, not that Ranma would ever care if he missed school or not. Ukyou was also absent. Akane figured that the okonomiyaki chef would not want to show her face at Furinkan High for a long, long time. She was right.  
  
The walk home was silent except for the far away rumblings of thunder. It was like walking in a desert; to Akane everything just seemed so plain, so monotone. When she finally reached her house, her surroundings were altered, however the mood remained identical. She softly walked to her room and for the first time that day, broke down crying.  
  
Akane had struggled to suppress her tears throughout the entire day, but right now, no one was looking and she could express her true feelings. She wondered what her future would be like without Ranma. However, no thoughts came into her mind. A life without him was not worth living and she knew it. Why did that jerk have to leave her?!  
  
Just then, an insignificant piece of paper that was placed neatly on her desk caught her attention. She drew closer and closer until she could see that the piece of paper had her name scribbled unevenly at the top. Shaking, Akane picked it up and read it.  
  
_Dear Akane,  
  
I'm tired of all the chaos in my life, three fiancées, multiple suitors, not to mention Kuno. I'm tired of our fathers forcing us into a marriage you don't want. I have to leave to end this chaos; coming back will not be an option. Please forgive for all the pain I have caused you; I truly didn't mean any of it. You are not a kawaiikunee, or a macho chick, or irokeganee, and even if you are a tomboy that's one of the things that I love about you. I also want to say that when I occasionally, and rarely said that you are cute, I really meant it. To tell you the truth, I love you. Even though I know that my love will never be returned, because you despise me. I guess it's all my fault for putting you down all the time and taunting you. I know I was wrong, but all I ask for is your forgiveness. I hope that when I leave you, your life will be a lot easier.  
  
Yours Forever,  
  
Ranma  
_  
Akane just stared at the note, mesmerized. Ranma loved her! RANMA LOVED HER!!! But why did he think that she despised him? Had she really acted that horribly towards him?  
  
There was only one more thought, however, that mattered to her now, Ranma didn't leave because of cowardice. He left because of a broken heart and to protect her from the Nerima wrecking crew.  
  
In addition to that, he loved her! Akane had never felt so excited about anything in her life, but sorrow closely followed the newfound excitement. It was entirely her fault that Ranma left, and she knew it. If only she had confessed her feelings before the wedding, then everything would have been perfect. But, like always, Akane's temper took the best of her and all that remained of Ranma were only memories. To Akane, that just wasn't enough.  
  
Hoping that she didn't lose too much time, Akane dashed out of the Tendo household and into the streets of Nerima. Akane knew that she could never catch up with Ranma, she was far too slow. But giving up was much, much worse than trying something she could never accomplish.  
  
Soon, Akane was doused by the rainwater from head to toe. She wasn't giving up, instead of slowing down she ran faster, trying to go further into the darkness of the night. The wind began to pick up slapping her face with all of its might, rain clouded her vision, but at that moment, nothing mattered.  
  
"Ranma! Where are you?" She screamed repeatedly into the dead air, but no response came. Akane halted and turned around, Ranma was gone. Gone from Nerima, gone from her life, gone forever. Akane stared into the empty streets of Nerima. She tried to stop crying, but the pain was too much for her. Akane knew that as long as Ranma was gone, it would never go away.  
  
It was too late to catch up with him now.

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I'm done with another chapter! Just in case anyone wanted to know my PC was taken away because my parents found out that I had anime files on it (200 songs, 50 wallpapers, 20 music videos, and other interesting stuff). Let me just say I'm so happy that people are actually taking their time to read my story, so please review. It's not that hard and if I only get three or four reviews I'll have no choice but to discontinue this fic. Moreover, I know that some people are enjoying my story and don't want that to happen. In addition, whoever said that Akane will catch up with Ranma and talk to him was WRONG! I think I made it pretty clear in this chapter. Don't worry though, this will be an Akane Ranma story, you'll just have to read to find out how I'll do it. Ja Ne!  
  
P.S. People who wanted longer chapters, I hope this is long enough for you.  
  
Sneak Peek at Chapter 3: What horrifying deeds shall happen during Ranma's absence? Uh oh, here comes Ryouga!


	4. CH 3: Love is too strong to let go

Okay, I think some people got the wrong idea from my little author talk of the last chapter. I will not, I repeat WILL NOT discontinue the fic whatever happens, even if I don't get any reviews whatsoever (however I absolutely love getting reviews, they are my motivation and no motivation equals longer time for updates). The whole story line is already drafted out in one of my notebooks, so even if it looks like I won't write another chapter, please look for the words: The End and if they are not there then I will write more chapters. I'm hoping to have at least 10 chapters in the end. Well, that's all I have to say, if you did not die of boredom by now, please continue reading my story.  
  
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** Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 3: Love is too strong to let go.**  
  
Akane sighed as she looked out her window. May was almost at its very end. The weather for the past month was blazing humid; it had been hot and sunny since Ranma ran away from Nerima. Maybe the kami had done it to cheer her up, but her melancholy state remained the same. She watched as the last of the cherry blossoms gently fell down from the cherry trees, drifting past her room and out of the vicinity.  
  
"Just like Ranma," she thought as more and more of them flew away, "They're both so full of spirit; they just go where the wind takes them, never staying still, just so free, so beautiful." Akane blushed and shook that thought out of her head. Ever since Ranma had left, Akane had had more than enough time to think about their engagement.  
  
She'd soon realized that, even though it had been arranged by their fathers for the sake of uniting the two schools together, somewhere along the way she and Ranma had begun to fall in love with each other. But Ranma, being himself, could never express his thoughts directly. Instead, he'd called her uncute and other various insults. Not always though. She thought of all the times Ranma had protected her from danger and then tried to deny that he had done it for her sake afterwards. Akane finally understood that he had only said that to cover up his true feelings. Now, everything about their relationship became as clear as a crystal to her.  
  
She loved him. It was that simple. If only she'd confessed her feelings to him before, everything might have been completely different. She pictured herself in the western style wedding dress standing next to the altar with Ranma, pledging her eternal love to him. The infamous wrecking crew would be safely tied up and gagged in the darkest corner of the house, carefully watched by Nabiki, who would make sure that absolutely no one got out of there without either losing their sanity or all of their money. Preferably both.  
  
That would be her perfect wedding, but Akane had to face the truth. Ranma had disappeared from Nerima a month ago, and the crazy fiancées and suitors were still on the loose. Except Kuno, who hadn't been seen by anyone after she had malleted him into the sky.  
  
The fiancées weren't taking the fact that Ranma had left very well. If it was still possible, they had become even more insane than before. The day after Ranma's disappearance, Shampoo had burst into the dojo to see if the news about her "husband" was true and ended up chasing Akane through half of Nerima with her bon-bori instead. Akane shuddered at the mere memory of Shampoo's anger-driven features. She could remember every detail of it, even now.  
  
That morning, Akane had been filled with emotions of complete sorrow with just a microscopic hint of hope that Ranma might, just might, return. The Tendo dojo was as silent as ever. Genma was nowhere to be seen; he seemed to have disappeared "mysteriously" after the discussion that he and her father had had. Mr. Tendo had been in his room, still busy making phone calls since the day before, probably trying to engage her to any martial artist that came along. Kasumi had been just as quiet as always, and even Nabiki hadn't been trying to fish out money from various members of the family.  
  
Their melancholy breakfast was, however, interrupted by a tremendous crash in the back yard. Akane began to get up to see what was wrong, but she instantaneously changed her mind when her head was almost ripped off by a too-familiar bon-bori. Akane dodged the first blow, but she was not sure if she would be able to do it again. The young Amazon's speed far outmatched her own.  
  
"What pervert girl do with airen?" Shampoo demanded as soon as she saw Akane.  
  
"Hey, it wasn't my fault that the coward decided to run away!" she protested. Akane had decided not to tell anyone about the letter Ranma left her, since no one in Nerima would believe her. In addition, she wasn't about to let Shampoo find out that she had any feelings for Ranma, otherwise she'd be dead for sure. Besides, how had Shampoo found out that Ranma was gone?  
  
There was only one answer to that: Nabiki. Akane glared daggers at her older sister while she nonchalantly continued to sip her tea, as if nothing unusual was happening. Well, having the city's martial artists break into the dojo was not that unusual; it was actually quite a common pastime for them, but she could have at least shown some interest in the fact that her younger sister had almost been killed a second ago.  
  
Nabiki was an ice queen indeed. Money was the only thing that ever mattered to her. First inviting everyone in Nerima to the wedding and now selling her out to Shampoo like this; that was unforgivable. (Author's Note: No, I do not hate Nabiki, so all of you Nabiki lovers out there, please don't kill me. She'll play a much better part later in the story) The reason she wasn't trying to get money out of anyone today was probably because she had already fished out the money from everyone else in Nerima. Knowing them, they would probably arrive at the dojo any second.  
  
"No time for thinking, pervert girl. KILL!!!" Akane swiftly dodged another attack of a bon-bori, trying to figure out what she could do to escape the Amazon's wrath. Fighting with brute strength alone would not be enough to defeat Shampoo. There was only one thing left to do - RUN!!!  
  
Akane scrambled out of the tearoom and ran as fast as she could from the enraged Amazon. It wasn't enough though; she could hear the swooshing of the bon-bori as they got nearer and nearer to her running form. The next attack left a bloody gash in her shoulder. Akane could feel the stabbing pain as the blood oozed out of the wound and onto the wet pavement, but she continued running anyway. Now, she could see that Shampoo was getting serious.  
  
Akane knew that she would not be able to run for much longer. Her insides were on fire, making every intake of air as painful as swallowing a knife. Soon, Shampoo would catch up with her and kill her with the bon-bori. If only Ranma were there to help her! He would easily defeat Shampoo, but only if she wasn't in her cursed form.  
  
Shampoo's cursed form. Of course! If she turned into a cat, Shampoo would never catch up with Akane. After dodging another series of blows so close that, they left her school uniform shredded into pieces that barely covered her exhausted body, Akane abruptly turned to the left and hurried towards her destination. After another excruciating minute, it was finally in sight.  
  
Turning around she managed to summon up whatever meager strength she had left inside of her and threw the shocked Amazon against the metal fence along the canal. Apparently, it was enough for the fence to shatter into a million sections and for Shampoo to fall head first into the raging waters. The battle was over. Akane had won.  
  
She jumped down and picked up the cat, the bon-bori, and her clothes. It looked as if Shampoo had been knocked out by her fall.  
  
"Good," Akane mumbled softly, facing a feline Shampoo would still cause much trouble to her.  
  
Akane looked down at herself. The remains of clothing that were left after the bon-bori attacks drifted away when she was running. Even though going to school that day was out of question, she didn't want to walk home through half the town naked. Akane picked up Shampoo's clothes and looked at them before hesitantly putting them on. Ranma had always said that Shampoo had a better-built figure than her. Well, that idiot was wrong! The clothes fit perfectly, if only Ranma could see her now.  
  
Slowly, Akane walked home. Her shoulder wound hurt more than ever, the blood was still coming out, soon turning one of her sleeves from a bright pink to a dark, dirty red. Carrying the bon-bori made it even harder to walk without making her shoulder wound hurt even worse. However, Akane was still glad. Who knows what would have happened if Shampoo had defeated her?  
  
The memory of that day was horrifying, but as Akane sat there admiring the cherry blossoms, she couldn't help, but smile at her victory over Shampoo. Handling the others had been much easier. When Kodachi had found out the news, she'd taken it as a sign that "Her Ranma darling" had disappeared to elope with her and went off to catch up with him. No one had heard from her yet.  
  
Ukyou, however, was another story. She did not come to school at all and when Akane came to see her at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki no one was there and the door bore an "Out Of Business" sign. That was most unfortunate. Even though Ukyou had brought exploding Okonomiyaki to the wedding, she was still a dear friend to both Ranma and her. Akane knew that she would miss her, but leaving would be the only honorable thing to do. Ukyou had betrayed her best friend's trust and that was only a small price to pay for what she had done. Nevertheless, Ranma would have forgiven her he was always compassionate to everyone.  
  
Maybe that was one of the reasons that she loved him. Her love alone made her go on with life. If Ranma really loved her as he said he did then he would come back. Whether it would be tomorrow or twenty years from now, she did not care. With him beside her, everything would be back to normal -- as normal as it ever was in Nerima, of course. However, that thought was never finished, it was interrupted by her father's voice.  
  
"Akane, come downstairs. I would like you to meet your new fiancée."  
  
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Another cliffhanger, huh? First of all, I just want to say that I am terribly sorry for not updating my story. I was just sort of all tangled up in other things and then I had the worst possible case of writer's block in the whole entire world. Miracles do happen however; it was gone after a long and stressful week. Plus, I had to re-edit the previous chapters, but most of it were just minor corrections though. My next update will be a lot sooner than this. In addition, if anyone wants to take a guess about the identity of Akane's new fiancée or how much time will pass before Ranma comes back please do and I will give you a million dollars (that was carefully forged in my basement) if you guess right. Sayonara!  
  
**P.S. Frameofmind** – Thank you so much for proofreading this chapter! I couldn't have done it without you.  
  
Sneak Peek at Chapter 4: What did Ranma do after he left? I wonder if Kodachi ever found him. 


	5. CH 4: Love never dies

Ohayo! I don't have much to say, so just go on reading. Wait, actually I do have to say one thing. From now on, if you have a question or a comment, I will answer it in a special section at the end of the story starting this chapter. In addition, I am still taking guesses for the identity of Akane's new fiancée. Since Ranma is coming back in this chapter, I guess I will keep my other fake money myself. Laughs evilly That's all folks!  
  
**_IMPORTANT NOTE! EVERYONE MUST READ!!! : This chapter will have a part where you will totally feel like you would want to abandon this story, but DON'T. Read this until the end and you'll see.  
_**  
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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 4: Love never dies**.  
  
Ranma packed his things and stood up. It was finally time to return to Nerima -- to return to her. For the past twenty years, every single day had been like hell to him. But his suffering would soon be over; he was finally going back to Nerima. Even if it was not for a long time, he just had to see Akane again. See how her life turned out without him to interfere it. Ranma ran his fingers through his dark, raven hair now full of dirty gray streaks and sighed. He regretted every moment of his life ever since he left, but at least Akane was happy now.  
  
Thinking no more, he took off following the same route as when he first left. After countless days of running, he reached the edge of Tokyo. The sight of the city left him spellbound. He knew that things would change during his absence, but not as much as they did. Most of the insignificant buildings were transformed into colossal skyscrapers. Huge signs bearing advertisements for various companies had been hung everywhere. All of the beautiful traditional style Japanese houses stood there no more. Instead, apartment buildings were built so close to each other, it looked as if even a human could not fit in between.  
  
He slowly walked through the unfamiliar city that had once been his hometown. When he reached Nerima, a friendlier sight greeted his now weak eyes (Author's Note: For those of you who are confused right now, Nerima is a neighborhood inside of Tokyo.). While most buildings appeared modern, some of them still possessed the same structures. He walked past the building that had been Ucchan's Okonomiyaki: it was almost identical, except the big sign in the front now said 'Uchi no Sushi'. (Author's Note: The name means House of Sushi and I basically just made that up with the help of my Japanese dictionary.) There seemed to be plenty of customers, but Ukyou was nowhere in sight.  
  
The building where the Nekohanten had stood so many years ago had been turned into an office of the Nissan car corporation. There seemed to be no trace of the Chinese Amazons, but it was all for the better. Now that he thought of it, Ranma had not seen a single human being since he'd entered Nerima. All life appeared still; no crazy contests, no ridiculous challenges, just absolute silence.  
  
As Ranma neared the Tendo dojo, doubts began to slowly crawl into the back of his mind. If he saw Akane, what would he say to her? After twenty years, he was certain that Akane despised him for being such a coward. Nevertheless, Ranma could not live without her a minute longer. Even if it were just a quick glance, it would still be worth it.  
  
The building looked exactly like it had looked when he left it, except the dojo sign now read 'Hibiki Martial Arts' instead of 'Tendo Training Hall'. Ranma was taken aback by the sight of that, but decided that there must be an explanation for everything. Without further hesitation, Ranma walked into the garden and opened the door to the dojo. A group of young Martial artists were practicing katas under the guidance of Ryouga inside.  
  
"Hey, pig boy!" Ranma blurted out almost unconsciously as soon as he saw Ryouga. All of his insults had still been held deep in the back of his mind. He remembered the pain he'd felt whenever he'd seen Akane holding P- chan. Even after twenty years, it still hurt to think that Akane loved P- chan more than him.  
  
Ryouga glanced around as if he thought that he had only imagined the voice. After a few seconds, however, his gaze met Ranma's. "Don't stop the exercises," he ordered his students and walked out to meet the other marital artist.  
  
Now Ranma had a chance to fully look at Ryouga. Age had changed his appearance, but the pig boy's facial features remained the same. Same melancholy look, same determined face, even the same bandana. One thing changed though, he could see it in Ryouga's eyes. They alone told him that something sinister had happened, something that would shatter his heart -- but what?  
  
"So you came, Saotome," Ryouga muttered angrily, his fists clenching. "You coward! Do you know what you have done?!" Tears came pouring down his cheeks slowly. "Saotome, you... you...you..." Without finishing his sentence, Ryouga launched his fist into Ranma's stomach. Ranma dodged it, but Ryouga's ki still hit him with a force that sent him flying into the koi pond.  
  
"Slow down there, Ryouga" a female Ranma said as she got out of the pond "What did I do? Besides, the real question is: what the heck are you doing here at the dojo?" Driven with rage at that comment Ryouga launched another attack, but terminated it moments before his foot connected with Ranma's skull. He walked inside the house and brought out a kettle of hot water.  
  
After Ranma changed back, Ryouga took a deep breath and began. "Perhaps I should explain everything to you before I kill you. After you left Nerima, many things happened; terrible deeds were done. Ranma, because of your cowardice, Akane is dead."  
  
Ranma stared at Ryouga with an expression disbelief and pure horror, but Ryouga did not pause. Instead, he continued with the story trying to suppress more tears as he talked. "My account of how everything happened might not be true to the last detail -- I was training in Osaka after the failed wedding in order to defeat you and marry Akane myself -- but this is what Nabiki told me. After a month had passed since you spinelessly ran away, Ukyou, Shampoo, and Kodachi went insane. They had decided that it was Akane's fault that you left them. One day, when Akane was walking home after school, they killed her, blinded by their anger. No one had seen them afterwards, some had said that they went off to find you, but no one knew for sure."  
  
"It can't be true Ryouga, you're lying!" Ranma cried, although the tone of his voice confirmed that he believed every word of what Ryouga had told him.  
  
Once again, Ryouga ignored him. "After Akane's death the whole Tendo family fell apart. No one but Akane could run the dojo and Soun knew that. However, he still tried training Kasumi and Nabiki in the Anything-Goes martial arts. It was futile though. No amount of training could bring them up to Akane's level. Besides, they both had different goals for their lives. As Nabiki said, the training was excruciating. When they became fed up with it, both of them ran away. I met both of them just outside of Nerima and that's when they told me everything. Two weeks later, I reached the dojo. At that point, Soun was mad enough to burn it, which he almost did, had I not stopped him. He told me it was no use for him anymore, and I decided to take it in memory of Akane. I have been teaching students martial arts ever since. Things have changed in Nerima and it is entirely your fault Ranma. Prepare to die!!!"  
  
Ryouga launched an attack, but Ranma was already gone. This time he was not fleeing Nerima, this time Ranma was fleeing the truth. Akane wasn't dead. All of it was a lie. Nevertheless, Ranma knew that it was not. Why hadn't he thought that his suitors might unleash all of their fury on Akane? Nothing had gone as Ranma had planned: Akane did not have a better life. She had no life at all, and it was his fault. If only Ranma had stayed, at least Akane would still be alive at this moment.  
  
Ranma was not planning to have a definite destination, but somehow his legs had brought him to the cemetery at the northern edge of Nerima. He entered slowly, carefully walking through the dirty grass, neglected for decades. Eerie silence filled the territory; minutes seemed like hours in that desolate place.  
  
None of it affected Ranma though. He kept walking until he saw what he came for. There, a few feet from him stood Akane's grave. He quietly crept closer to read the hiragana sloppily etched onto the front. In memory of Tendo Akane 1971-1988 Brutally slaughtered at the hands of Kyonji Ukyou, Kuno Kodachi, and Shampoo Over an idiot and a coward named Ranma. Curse you Saotome!!!  
  
At that moment, all strength left Ranma and he collapsed to his knees. He stared at those frightful words reading them over and over. The last line alone made his heart ache so much that death would have been a better refuge. Thunder had begun to rumble softly in the distance and clouds gathered over Tokyo; soon a heavy rainstorm raged over all of Nerima.  
  
Onna-Ranma looked up at the sinister sky. In a way, she was somewhat glad that it was raining. The wet raindrops obscured her tears and for that, she was glad. The salty tears mixed with the raindrops burned her eyes. That sensation was almost unknown to her, Ranma had not cried in more than twenty years, but she could not stop herself know. Everything was lost, Akane was dead, and in was all her fault.  
  
"No more" she thought, she was going to take charge of her life and try to live on without Akane. Even though she know it would not be possible. Ever.  
  
Ranma looked up at the sky. The menacing clouds remained above Nerima, but the rain had abruptly ended. A small ball of light emerged from the deep shadows, Ranma watched as it became bigger and bigger in diameter. As the sphere expanded, it illuminated the sky turning it bright white instead the bluish gray it had been before. Ranma closed her eyes to prevent the brightness from blinding her. When Ranma opened them again, she was a he.  
  
Everything had been a frightening dream. No, more like a frightening nightmare. The remains of it were vague, but Ranma carefully pulled all of the missing fragments together and everything came flooding back into his mind. Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyou killed Akane, all because of him. All because he was a coward and a complete idiot.  
  
Whether he wanted to or not, Ranma would have to go back, to protect Akane and keep his other fiancées away from her. He still had time, only a month passed since he left, but to him it seemed like years. Who knew what might have happened to that clumsy tomboy already?  
  
Ranma sat up and looked at his surroundings. Same old Chinese landscapes, a tent, and a campfire. It had been the same for countless amounts of days. If he continued traveling like that, he would reach Jusenkyo and become a full man in a day or two. His cure was so close, but Ranma could waste any more time. Akane might have been in danger already. Ranma hurriedly packed his belongings and set off. It was going to be a long swim back to Nerima.  
  
Maniacal laughter echoed from somewhere deep inside the forest. Now it was going to be an even longer swim to Nerima  
  
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I cannot believe I am actually done with this chapter! This was so hard for me to write. I hadn't actually planned the dream part, but what I was going to write sounded too crappy, so I thought of a completely different chapter. You would not believe how hard it was to think of everything as I went along. I hope none of you are angry with me for killing off Akane (even if it was only in a dream), so all of you die-hard Akane fans: GOMENASAI!!!  
  
Here are the replies to your reviews as promised.  
  
**_Alex Ultra and Karburator:_** Yes, at first I planned to have the argument between Soun and Genma be different, but after rewriting it about 5 times I've finally settled on what I had. I wanted to emphasize the fact that Genma does not care about Ranma at all and of course, Soun acted the way he did because he always wants what is better for his daughters (Who could ever forget his demon-head attacks?) and a failed wedding was definitely not on his list. Besides, I had to end Ranma's and Akane's engagement somehow and this was the only was I could think of.  
  
**_Frameofmind:_** I have finally brought in Ryouga! I hope you're happy. By the way, he will definitely be in the next chapter too.  
  
**_DogbertCarroll:_** Thank you for the criticism. If you find more mistakes, please let me know. One thing though, the springs were not destroyed. They had overflowed when Ranma left China, but when the guide sent the Nannichuan, he said that everything was back to normal.  
  
**_Mlink:_** Do you have ESP? Cause you've completely guessed what this chapter was about in your review. Anyway, I am sorry for not updating.  
  
**_Everyone else_**: Thank you so much for reviewing my story! Every one of your reviews makes this a whole lot easier to write.  
  
Sneak Peek at Chapter 5: What is the identity of Akane's fiancée? Will Ranma reach Nerima in time to stop the new engagement? 


	6. CH 5: My heart belongs to you

In case anyone was confused, I have changed my pen name to Saotome Akane since I think it fits the stories I will write better than my last one. Plus, you know how I have said that this story will get funnier after a few chapters, well, I've decided that I will keep it a bit melancholy throughout the entire thing, because I think it will be better that way. Nevertheless, do not worry; my fanfiction will definitely have a happy ending. Read on!

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 5: My heart belongs to you. **

"Akane, come downstairs. I would like you to meet your new fiancé."

Newfiancé? Yet, how could it be? Her father couldn't have found her a new fiancé already! Akane was mortified. She averted her gaze from the descending cherry blossoms and to her closed door. Beyond it was a new future, a future without Ranma by her side. She slowly walked to the door opening it hesitantly. When she saw that no one was there, Akane softly walked down the stairs.

Kasumi greeted her there "Akane, don't worry, the new fiancé isn't as bad as you think. He and our father are waiting for you in the dojo."

As Akane walked to the dojo, a thought crept slowly into her head. Who could the now fiancé be? It had to be someone with martial arts abilities, preferably someone from a family of martial artists. It couldn't have been Kuno, could it? Or even worse, Happosai. No, her father was not so sick that he would engage her to a 100-year-old perverted old freak. As the feeling of drear inside her began to increase, Akane decided that even if it were someone she despised, she would always be able to run away or if nothing else helped simply kill him. She swiftly slid open the door to the dojo and gasped in shock.

Inside, next to her father her new fiancé was standing looking down at the ground, blushing.

"Ryouga!" Akane managed to whisper before she fainted.

Ryouga watched as Akane had entered the room, he watched as her determined features turned into shock, and how her body fell to the floor with a soft thud. " Dear Akane-san, do you hate me that much that you can't bear to be my fiancée?" he thought as he picked up her unconscious figure along with Soun and carried Akane into her room.

"My little girl!" Soun proclaimed, tears of bliss already streaming freely down his cheeks "Fainting from the excitement of seeing her new fiancé. Oh, the joy of that!"

"I don't think she was happy to see me," Ryouga protested as they lowered Akane onto her bed. "Perhaps surprising her like this wasn't a marvelous idea."

"Nonsense! Now the future of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is established! I will leave you two alone, so Akane can talk to her new fiancé once she wakes up." Soun exited the room making sure to close the door tightly behind him.

Ryouga could not believe his luck. Ranma had run away like a downright coward and Akane was his fiancée. It was unrealistic, unbelievable, illusionary, however something remained unclear to him. Akane had looked terrified when she saw him, could it be that she was in love with Ranma? Could it be that he was making a colossal mistake by getting himself engaged to Akane? Ryouga did not know. It had not even been his fault anyway. His parents and Mr. Tendo made the agreement themselves without even bothering to ask him, not that Ryouga would have protested or anything.

Ryouga sighed deeply. He looked over at Akane, she was still unconscious. The surprised look engraved deeply into her soft features. Did she really loath him? Even if Akane did not detest him now, it would be only a matter of time until she would. If this engagement continued, eventually Ryouga would have to confess his elation to P-chan. And when that happened, Ryouga was certain that Akane would be angry enough to kill him.

However, maybe, just maybe Akane would forgive him. Maybe someday, she would love him with the same passion as he loved her. He let out another heavy, lingering sigh and lost himself in a daydream.

Akane was awakened abruptly by a peculiar noise. She tried to open her eyes and get up, but her head was still hazy from the fall she took. Instead, she focused her other senses. Immediately, she perceived a presence of another person in her room. Ryouga, she thought, of all people in Nerima, why did she have to get engaged to him?

If her father had decided to engage her to someone like Kuno or Gosunkugi breaking a few bones would have surely terminated the insane engagement, however, she would not bring herself to harm Ryouga. To Akane, Ryouga was a dear friend and hurting him did not appeal to her. Why couldn't it have been someone else? Poor Ryouga, this stupid engagement must have been hard on him, too. She already knew what engaged to someone you didn't love felt like. Maybe someday, she would love him. No, that was not possible, her heart belonged to Ranma.

If Ranma came back, what would have happened? Would she be able to end this disaster? Akane did not know. Finally, deciding that thinking will get her nowhere, Akane tried to clear her had and slowly sat up. She looked over at Ryouga who seemed to be lost on a daydream and gently shook his shoulder.

"Ryouga-kun, she called out softly "I need to talk to you."

Ryouga snapped out of his dreamlike state and gazed at Akane, she was looking at him with a saddened expression, her amber eyes filled with pity. Was it for him, or herself?

"Ryouga-kun, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that my father forced you to do this." She proceeded as she slowly took out her mallet "I'll mallet daddy to Osaka for doing this to both of us!"

What was she saying? Did Akane think that he was against the new engagement? If he confessed his feelings now, what would she do? Ryouga did not know, but it had to be now or never. "A… Akane, I… I… I don't think that this engagement would work. However, think of what your father would do if we told him that." Great, he missed his perfect chance and lied to her as well. Why was he so scared to tell her?

"You're right," Akane sighed with a hint of regret as the mallet vanished from her hands. "If we tell him that we want to end this engagement, who knows what he might try to do? Besides, Ranma might someday come back and I am sure that otou-san will change his mind then. I'm sure of it" Why did she say that aloud? Now, Ryouga was sure to figure out that she had feelings for Ranma.

Did she love Ranma? Even after all the chaos he had brought into her life? No, it was impossible. "Akane, do you love Ranma?" Even after asking that question, Ryouga knew that even if Akane had feelings for his greatest rival, she would never admit such a weakness. However, Ryouga felt that it was necessary to ask her nonetheless.

"Of course not!" she retorted a little too quickly, "As if someone could love a perverted baka like him!" Akane felt ashamed about having to lie to Ryouga, but it had to be done no matter what no matter what the repercussions would be.

Ryouga's expression remained unchanged, but his melancholy gaze turned almost bitter, as if the lost boy did not trust her. Wanting to get his mind off the agonizing subject, she suggested, "Well, I guess we should go downstairs, everyone has been completely silent. They must be waiting for us.

As Ryouga and Akane descended the stairway, a horrible sight greeted their eyes. All the furniture had been cleaned out of the tearoom and her family, dressed in traditional Japanese attire, stood in the middle along with a Shinto priestess. The priestess smiled gently at Akane as if wanting to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but no smile could have made Akane feel better. Why? Why would her family do this to her?

"Otou-san, what is all this?" Akane asked even though she knew that this could only mean one thing as she tried her best to suppress her temper.

"This my child, is your wedding."

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I know that right now most of you want to kill me, but you have no idea what has been going on. I am hoping to get an early start at chapter 6 though and if I do not finish it in 10 days, I give you every right to flame me. Once again, I am terribly sorry for not updating. In addition, since the identity of the new fiancé was revealed in this chapter, I would like to congratulate Frameofmind, xero-ghost, Hououza, and Don't eat yellow snow for guessing right. You should receive the money in your mail within the next 30-50 years. Here come the responses to your reviews.

Mlink: ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) is the ability to know about things ahead of time or know that something had happened without being there. I hope that answered you question.

xero-ghost: Ranma's dream was influenced by his love of Akane so I guess you could say that it was his subconscious mind telling him to go back. I am sorry for the third cliffhanger, but I wrote that part before I got your review, besides I love giving my chapters endings like that. It makes people want to read more of the story and like Chia pet said, it gives them something to think about before I post the next chapter. However, if Chapter 6 will turn out the way I plan it to, there will not be a cliffhanger in there.

Don't eat yellow snow: Which part made you go: WTF? Was it the dream? I'm just a bit curious.

Karburator: Thank you so much for pointing out the mistakes!!!

Ghelai08: I promise that this will get more romantic once Ranma comes back.

Hououza: I'm pretty sure I have author alerts enabled, if you want, you can give me your e-mail address and I'll send you an e-mail every time I update.

Dogbert Carroll: Did your mother ever tell you that if you had nothing nice to say, not to say anything at all?

A special note to Alex Ultra: I completely loved your idea about Kuno being Akane's new fiancé and I even considered changing the plot so it would be that way. However, if I did that, then it would have taken me a lot time to think of a new plot and it would get too complicated. I might do something like that in one of my future stories though.

Everyone else: Thank you for all of your reviews! They are my inspiration.

Sneak Peek at Chapter 6: Ranma is coming back. How will Akane and Ryouga react to that?


	7. CH 6: Within you

I'm back, and I've met my deadline! Barely. By the way, all of the Japanese places mentioned in this chapter are real; you can check the information yourself. You know, I was surprised that one of my regular readers reviewed the previous chapter; it must have been my lack of updating. Therefore, I will stop rambling and let you read on…

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 6: Within you, I lose myself. Without you, I find myself wanting to be lost again.**

Ranma ran. For days, it had been this way. His knees felt as if they were on fire; he did not know how long he would be able to keep going. Despite everything, however, Ranma knew that he had to go on no matter what. Kodachi was still behind him in her leotard, spreading black rose petals on the ground as she shouted out random nonsense like: "I love you Ranma-sama!" and "We shall elope soon, my darling!"

The situation was getting on Ranma's nerves, especially the fact that he was still unable to get rid of the pursuing black rose - primarily because he was not able to outrun her carrying a massive pack on his shoulders. Nevertheless, now that he was back in Japan - subsequent to many hours of being followed by her across the Sea of Japan in a motorboat, while he tried to escape from her by swimming alone - Ranma considered himself lucky to be alive.

How he wished he could use a ki blast on Kodachi, and hopefully kill her, or at least injure her significantly. Then at least one obstacle that was keeping him away from a tranquil life would be gone. Ranma shook that thought out of his head: it was too much to hope for. He would never hit a girl, or any person who was weaker than he. No matter how sick and twisted they were.

For the next few hours, the phrase "I will not hit a girl, no matter what," had become a mantra to him. Concentrating on the phrase, Ranma did not notice a small boulder in his path and ungracefully tripped over it, flying face-first onto the dry road and swallowing a handful of dirt and dust. He got up and continued as if nothing happened, but the throbbing of his tired muscles increased greatly. He coughed up a portion of the dirt; his lungs were aching painfully, every breath like swallowing thousands of knives, and the razor-sharp ribbon was coming closer to him with every step. If Ranma was to survive, he would have to take action very soon. However, his destination was already coming into sight.

Surprisingly, occasionally listening to the monotonous lectures of his teachers, for once, proved useful in real life. One boring Wednesday afternoon, he had overheard a short part of a lecture about Mt. Fuji and the surrounding landscape, before falling asleep. Now the majestic silhouette of the mountain was looming on the horizon, and the lakes were slowly coming into view. The one he was heading toward, Lake Kawaguchi, was reflecting sunlight off its surface, making it shine with a radiant white light. Ranma, of course did not notice the divine appearance, as his mind was focused on other things.

While they'd been crossing the Sea of Japan, Kodachi had not noticed that he was a girl, because of his swimming speed and with his horrible luck, Ranma had fallen into a hot spring seconds after his arrival to Japan. However, if Ranma were to change now, he, or rather she, would be able to direct the crazed gymnast in some random direction and continue the rest of her journey peacefully, without fearing for her life.

Ranma hurled his pack into a nearby bush, hoping that Kodachi was too far away to notice, and braced himself for the change as he plunged into the cold waters of the lake. Thankfully, the lake was very shallow. As the wet girl emerged from the lake, she watched the gaze of the black rose turn from dumbfounded to confused to angry.

"What have you done to my precious Ranma-sama, you irritating girl?" the crazed gymnast fumed, looking around anxiously.

Ranma looked at Kodachi innocently, praying that her deep contempt was not visible on her face. After so many years of pursuit, the Kuno siblings were still unable to determine that he was the same person. Ranma-chan pointed to her right and said as nonchalantly as was possible at that moment, "I was just swimming in this lake! Try going in that direction." Ranma really, really hoped that Kodachi would fall for this. For once, her plan seemed to work.

Without even a brief thank you, Kodachi sped off in the wrong direction leaving a trail of black rose petals behind. Ranma smiled weakly and collapsed to the ground in a small heap. A passerby looking at her might have thought that the wet, bruised girl was dead. If he were deaf, that is: Ranma's snoring could have woken up a hibernating bear.

Many hours later Ranma awoke, cold and hungry. She noticed that night had fallen, and a cold wind was slapping at her back as if trying to rouse her. Her muscles were very sore from the running, but she stood up, retrieved her pack, and slowly began walking towards Nerima in spite of her pain. As dawn slowly approached, Ranma broke into a run.

Ranma was aware that her body still greatly desired sleep, however, she knew that she could not waste any more time. The clumsy tomboy might have gotten herself into trouble already. Ranma needed to see Akane; a feeling inside of her foretold a danger, and if she did not hurry, it would take her weeks to reach Tokyo. With that thought, she jumped onto the branch of the nearest tree and continued her long journey hopping on trees.

…………….

Not far away, in the Nerima ward of Tokyo, inside the Tendo household, Akane was still recovering from shock. "No" she muttered softly under her breath. A wedding, so soon? How could her father do this to her? For the past minute Akane had been trying to get her father's words to sink in, but her mind turned numb, refusing to be penetrated with such information. She looked over at Ryouga; he had turned a sickly shade of green and looked like he was on the verge of fainting. Akane knew she had to do something to escape this terrible fate, but what would she be able to do? Her attempts at escape were futile, no matter what she did. She would never be able to dissuade her father from such an important decision unless something significant occurred. Something like… But no, it was impossible.

Akane's anger gradually turned to tears as she realized that nothing could be done by her alone to improve this situation. Therefore, Akane did what Ranma would have done at a moment like that: She ran. Akane knew it was a cowardly thing to do and it wouldn't make Soun change his mind. In the end, it would make things worse, but at that moment, Akane was well past caring.

Akane ran past the confused figure of her father, past the smiling miko, past a surprised Kasumi and a smirking Nabiki into the dark, gloomy streets of Nerima. She did not plan to go far. All Akane needed was some time to contemplate her new engagement and maybe think of an honorable way out. In that abrupt moment, Akane had forgotten that she was in Nerima, a place where chaos always prevailed no matter what the circumstances were.

As the sky slowly started to shift from a yellowish-red to a deep navy blue tone, she noticed a figure at the far end of the road. The figure seemed to be approaching her, but at a very slow speed. As the person approached her, Akane's heartbeat began to rise: She would recognize that redheaded figure anywhere.

"You're back," Akane whispered softly not caring that tears of joy were streaming freely down her face. All the agony and distress that had built up inside her over the past weeks had vanished almost instantaneously. She watched hopefully as Ranma ran closer and closer to her, forgetting of all the trouble for a brief, but happy moment.

Ranma did not know for how long she had been running, but she was out of the deep forests and had to be someplace in or very close to Tokyo. At the end of the road, a blue-haired girl was standing, but Ranma's mind was far too weary to determine who the girl was. Her only thought was to go on. However, as she approached the girl, her final strengths receded rapidly. Ranma gave in to her body's desire to stop as she reached the girl. She softly mumbled, "Help…" and collapsed into the girl's outstretched arms losing consciousness.

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Finally, I am done! Expect the next chapter in 10 days. And now for the review replies:

**Firestorm2004**: Thanks for the great review. I really wish that I can write an entire chapter and then proofread the whole thing at least five times in six days, but my teachers give us so much homework and it is almost impossible to get my parents of the Internet.

**glazedlookineyes101**: Your review made me laugh. (In a good way). I guess that Soun wants what is best for his girls, at least what is best in his opinion.

**Soda-cola-pop**: Thanks, for pointing out the mistake, I will try to fix it as soon as I can. I don't take your review as a flame, since I understand that nobody's perfect (especially me). I'm glad that you like my story though.

**Meia**: I'm also an RA fan, but I guess that's how my writing style is. Don't worry, I will add more people to the storyline in the next chapters.

**Anonymous**: Please sign in next time you review this, because I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Sneak Peek at Chapter 7: Ranma wakes up. What is on the minds of everyone in the Tendo household?


	8. CH 7:Matter of Heart

Konbanwa! Not much to write about, except that came up with an outline for the next story that I will be writing! If anyone wants to know what it will be about, feel free to say so in your review and I'll post it in the end of the next chapter.

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 7: Matter of Heart**

Ranma began to awaken, ever so slowly. His muscles, still sore from his trek, no longer ached to the same extent as they did before. He could feel that he was no longer in the wilderness, since he was lying on a soft surface. A wet cloth of some sort was tenderly placed on his aching forehead and someone next to him was softly holding his hand. Ranma tried to open his eyes, but the wet cloth obscured his vision. It seemed that whoever was taking care of him did not know much about first-aid.

Ranma tried to sit up, but he was pushed down, and a familiar female voice dictated, "Ranma don't try getting up, you're still too weak." Why was Akane helping him? Had she read his letter, and now wanted him to get healthier so she could later kill him herself?

It seemed that Akane noticed the expression on his face, as she knelt down and quietly whispered, "Don't worry baka, I am not going to hurt you. Rest, we'll talk later." Ranma was not fully reassured by those words, but he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Once she was out of her room, Akane looked around. There was no one in the vicinity of the hallway. Good. She did not want to face the uncomfortable questions from the members of her family and Ryouga. She had tried not to pay attention to their questioning glances as she dragged an unconscious Ranma from the street into her room. The girl was severely injured. Akane had heated up a kettle of hot water, poured it onto the unconscious onna-Ranma, and tended to his wounds as carefully as she could, but unfortunately cracking a few of Ranma's ribs in the process.

She had no idea what her future with Ranma would hold. Her father had apologized to the miko and let her go, so the wedding was canceled - for now. Would Ranma try to deny his feelings again? Would _she _be able to say that she loved him? Would her father allow the engagement to pick up where it had been left off? Akane was full of questions. However, one thing was for sure: She would not allow Ranma to be separated from her again. The day had been very eventful, but exhausting at the same time. Akane walked to the furo and opened the door. She slowly undressed, descended into the warm water, and let her mind relax, trying to forget her troubles.

Once Nabiki heard the furo door close, she quietly edged to Akane's room and peered inside. Ranma was lying on Akane's bed, sleeping soundly. Nabiki made a quick note in her journal and drew back to her room. Once inside, Nabiki made a few phone calls to her associates. Business was going to be rising dramatically now that her biggest object of blackmailing had returned. She would make a fortune just by telling his other fiancées the details of his arrival. In addition, her dear younger sister would pay a respectable sum of money for not telling anyone how affectionately she was taking care of the fiancé whom she "despised". Not to mention the amount of money the entire population of Furinkan High School would be willing to pay to bet on which fiancé Akane would choose.

Nabiki made more notes in her journal trying to calculate how much profit each transaction would bring her. With the rate that the sum of her money was increasing at, Nabiki would soon become a billionaire. Lost in thought, she did not hear Kasumi downstairs, calling everyone for dinner. A few minutes later, the mercenary girl heard a soft knock on her door, which could only belong to her older sister. None of the other residents of the house bothered to knock.

"Come in," she said coldly, maintaining her ice queen demeanor.

Her older sister opened the door and stepped inside. "Nabiki-chan, dinner is ready," she announced in her gentle, motherly tone. She walked down the stairs and into the tearoom, closely followed by Nabiki. The family had already been seated; they were trying to pretend that nothing unusual had occurred, but Kasumi could feel the tense atmosphere in the room.

Soun Tendo appeared lost in thought, probably trying to comprehend the situation. Ryouga looked as if he had walked into the wrong house, fidgeting nervously in his seat. Akane was glancing upstairs every few seconds - Kasumi could see that her little sister was anxious to talk to Ranma. Only Nabiki's expression was blank, but then again, she never showed what was on her mind.

Kasumi put on her best smile and began to hand food out to everyone. Dinner was eaten in complete silence, as it had been every night since the Saotome family had left their household. No fighting, no loud chewing, no conversation, just quiet. Kasumi kept on smiling, but her mind was enveloped in turmoil. She had known for a long time that Akane had feelings for Ranma, but what would her little sister do now? Their father really wanted the new engagement to work out. Kasumi did not want to go against her father's wishes, but she wanted what was best for Akane.

She glanced over at her sister. Akane was trying to finish the gyoza as fast as she could, looking up at the second floor more and more often. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, she quickly set down her plate and called out "Gochisosama!" as she hurried up the stairs.

Ryouga watched her withdraw upstairs. For him, the day had been a complete tragedy. When he had walked down to meet the miko with Akane, his heart had sunk. Akane did not want the wedding and he knew that. The thought of himself getting married on that day made his head spin. Mr. Tendo had only given them fifteen minutes; he could have waited until he and Akane had sorted everything out before he tried to marry them. However, every one of Ryouga's worst fears had come true when he'd seen Akane run out the door and into the streets.

When she'd returned, Ryouga had been both appalled and dumbfounded. Akane had come in carrying an unconscious Ranma, crying, but looking relieved and happy. Ryouga had not offered any assistance or tried to stop her. The battle for Akane's heart was over, and he had lost.

Upstairs, Akane slowly opened the door to her room and walked in. Ranma was no longer sleeping, but looking at the ceiling with a blank, distant look in his eyes. As she approached him, he snapped out of his state of mind and looked at her.

"Sorry, didn't see you come in," he mumbled under his breath. Akane sat down on a chair next the bed and took one of his hands into hers. He tensed up, but did not pull away. For the second time in that day, he questioned Akane's motives: a microscopic part of him faintly whispered to his mind, saying that Akane might care for him, but Ranma quickly silenced that voice by reminding himself of all the times Akane had admitted to despising him and malleted him out of Nerima.

Akane did not know what to do. She knew that if she said anything now, she would deeply regret it later since it would come out as an insult no matter how hard she would try to make it sound sincere. Now that she thought of it, that situation occurred every time she and Ranma had tried to have an ordinary conversation. Either that, or one of their suitors dropped by and ruined everything.

At that moment, she was not the only one who felt that way. Ranma desperately wanted to break the awkward silence by saying something nice to her. He looked up into Akane's hazel eyes, now at the verge of tears. The silence began to tear him apart inside. He had to do something, or Akane would begin to cry, and crying girls were one of the things that he, one of the most powerful martial artists on Earth, could not handle.

"Hey, Akane?"

"What?" She had not expected him to say anything and was stunned to hear how soft his voice was.

"Thank you for umm… fixing me up." Ranma lowered his head as much as he could have in his prone position, feeling a slight blush come to his face.

"Umm, you're welcome." Another awkward silence filled the room. This time, the silence was broken by the sound of Akane's crying. Unable control her rage, Akane knelt down and punched Ranma in the stomach with all of her strength. He winced at the sharp pain, taken aback at Akane's reaction.

"Why? Why did you leave me like that? Why, you baka?" she screamed at him standing up. Ranma did not reply, he simply returned to gazing at the ceiling with an agonized look on his face. Akane's knees gave in and she collapsed back into the chair sobbing quietly.

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Yes! I am so evil; this has to be my cruelest cliffhanger ever! I am sorry. I just felt that this had to be stopped right here. Please do not flame me, though I might deserve it. I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise. Hmm… I know! I will post the next chapter in 9 days. By the way, people who do not review my story but still read it, please review! The more reviews I will get, the faster I will post the newest chapters!

**Firestorm2004**: _I_ wish I had that ability! Maybe, someday I will when I become a better writer.

**Ranmakane4ever**: Ranma was gone for a little bit more than a month.

**Goku905041**: The beginning of this chapter was inspired solely by you. Thanks!

**My other reviewers**: Thanks you so much for your reviews! The more of them I get, the faster my chapters will come out!

Sneak Peek at Chapter 8: The reactions of the other fiancées are revealed. Ranma and Akane finally admit their feelings for each other!


	9. CH 8: Words from the heart

I was very afraid of not meeting my deadline, since my exams are coming up, my teachers are giving me so much more homework, and my worst fears came true. I am very sorry, but I have to put my schoolwork before fanfiction. Sadly. By the way, does anyone know where I can find the English version of "Valenti" (by BoA)? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Read on…

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 8: Words from the heart.**

In the Nerima district of Tokyo, inside the Nekohanten Café business was going as usual. A steady line of hungry people was coming in waiting to get their orders, while Shampoo darted from customer to customer in a hurry, not wanting to agitate any of them. A slow-paced waitress could not bring new customers.

Nor could she put her great-grandmother in a better mood, although on that day Cologne was not contented with the number of customers that came to the café. The Amazon Elder had been in the kitchen from 5 a.m. cooking various Chinese dishes and muttering curses in Mandarin for almost half of that time. The stream of customers seemed to have no end. The enraged elder was so engrossed in her cooking, she almost missed the ring of the telephone. In a hurry, she picked up the receiver and prepared to lash out at the poor victim who must have been suicidal to call during the peak hours. The voice at the other line, however, brought a small smile to her face. Something significant must have occurred for that person to want to call them.

"Shampoo, it's for you! Make it real quick." Cologne yelled out remembering that the food could not prepare itself. She quickly went back to her work muttering more curses under her breath and managing to make ramen at the same time.

Shampoo ran up to the receiver, picked it up, and cheerfully answered, "Nihao!"

A cold, female voice answered her. "Hello Shampoo, I have a proposition that I think you would be very interested in."

…………..

As Akane continued to quietly sob, Ranma pondered the situation that was unfolding before him. Akane had every reason to be angry. He deserved it after leaving her. Had she wanted him to stay? Leaving Nerima must have been the wrong decision. This time he would not run away from his problems. Once was more than enough to realize his mistake. He would approach the chaos in his life in a different way.

Ranma looked at Akane's crying figure and pulled her into a tight embrace, doing the first thing that came into his mind. To his great surprise, Akane did not pull away or resume her yelling at him. Instead, she slowly and hesitantly put her arms around him gradually pulling him closer to her shaking body.

"You idiot, I thought you would never return," she mumbled quietly into his shirt for once forgetting her anger. For the first time in more than a month, Akane did not feel alone. "I was so afraid…"

"I'm so sorry, I…" Ranma stopped and paused, he was overwhelmed by his sudden boldness, but maybe after so many years of denial it was finally time for him to tell Akane the truth. He would not mess up things once more. Even if Akane despised him, he would tell her that he was in love with her. He did it once back at Jusendo, so he could do it again. And, if the mallet came, Ranma would always be able to hide somewhere until Akane found a way to channel her anger at another poor victim.

"Damn it, I should have told you this long ago. Akane, I … I…" his voice faltered.

"Love you?" Akane inquired. She did not know why she had done that, but saying those words felt like letting go of 5,000-pound weights that she had been carrying for many years.

"Yes," Ranma softly whispered. He could feel the blush rising to his cheeks. Looking down into Akane's tear-stained eyes Ranma smiled weakly doing his best to hide the panicked feeling that was slowly creeping into his mind. He had confessed his feelings to Akane. It was not as difficult as Ranma thought it would be. What would she do now? Would she mallet his out of Japan, or …

Akane could feel him tensing up and slowly loosening his grip. Just as Ranma was about to slip away, she pulled him closer to her and said "Ranma, I'm not going to hit you, please stay with me." Her tone was almost pleading; it forced all Ranma's thoughts of escape to fly out of the window. Instead, he opened his mouth hoping to finally ask the question that had haunted him for years.

"Akane, do you lov…" Before he could finish the question, he heard the response he had been longing with all of his heart to hear.

"Yes"

………………

That day, Ranma and Akane were not the only contented people in Nerima. Back at the Nekohanten café Shampoo put the receiver down, and shouted happily as she ran into the kitchen, "Great grandmother, airen come back for Shampoo!" A few of the customers stopped their casual conversations and curiously looked over at the pretty, Chinese waitress, wondering what was going on. Upon hearing Shampoo's cheerful cry, Cologne once again smiled to herself. She knew that her son-in-law was an honorable man, who would not leave unsolved problems behind. Even if he did not come back for her great granddaughter, Cologne would do anything in her powers to make Ranma marry her. They had been in Nerima for a long time and time was running out. The other elders from the Joketsuzoku village were growing impatient with her, demanding them to either come back with Shampoo's husband or face their wrath.

Cologne remembered Akane's victory over Shampoo. She would not allow such a thing to occur again. Her great granddaughter would win Ranma's heart no matter what and bring him back with them to China and she had just the item to make it happen. It was one of the most treasured possessions of the Amazons and Cologne had been saving it for a desperate time and now was as desperate as it could be. She turned to her beaming granddaughter and croaked out, "Shampoo, tell all of the customers to leave and close down the restaurant! We have lots of work to do now that my son-in-law has returned." She grinned; this was going to be a fun day.

Meanwhile, in the back room the atmosphere was not as high-spirited. Mousse sighed; they were devising another hopeless plan to win Ranma's heart. When would the foolish Amazons learn that a human heart was not an object that they could manipulate? Every e previous attempt had failed. What made them think that this time it would work? Maybe it would be better if he warned the Tendo family. Nah, it was not worth the trouble. Mousse was certain that whatever the old ghoul was planning would not work. With another sigh, Mousse returned to scrubbing the floors, still worried about the plan, but feeling almost certain that it would surely not work on Ranma. How wrong he was.

…………………

After hours of pointless pursuit, Kodachi began to grow tired. The lowly red-haired girl must have directed her in a wrong direction. Many hours passed, but her Ranma was nowhere in sight. She turned in the direction of Tokyo leaving a small trail of black rose petals behind as she sprinted.

………………..

Trying to hold back tears of regret, Ryouga began to pack. Deep inside, he had always known that Akane had feeling for Ranma, but he could never admit it to himself. In a way, he was just like Ranma, full of foolish pride and with an ego the size of the planet. It was unfortunate that they were rivals. For once in his life, Ryouga set off on a journey wanting to get lost and escape his misery.

He did not want to leave without a fight; it was very much unlike him. However, a small voice inside his head told him to just give up and not cause Akane more pain.

Glancing back at the Tendo house Ryouga softly whispered, "Good bye Akane" And set off on his last journey. The journey home.

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I know that you were probably expecting something longer and better, but for the reasons above and my health problems, I was unable to finish this chapter until now. A special thanks to my proofreader **frameofmind** and **Tama-chan's Girl**, who always helps me with the chapter titles. Here are your review replies!

**Tendo Nabiki-chan**: Your review was very inspirational. Of course you can use the cliffhanger, but please give me credit for it somewhere in the story, so people do not think I copied it from you. Friendster? What's that? I will definitely try to incorporate your idea somewhere later in my story. Thanks!

**Renzuko**: Please don't hit me! I will do anything!

**Reader**: So, does your review mean that you like my story, or not?

**Daouid**: Trust me, I won't.

A sneak peek at Chapter 9: The Amazons succeed in their plan. What does it do?


	10. CH 9: Nothing but the truth

OMG! Gomenasai! I have no excuse, I just… I do not know why it took me so long to wrote this. Well, Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy! R & R!

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 9: Nothing but the truth**

This was all a dream. It could not be real. There was no way. At that moment, those were the only thoughts that were able to penetrate Akane's mind. Complete silence enveloped the room; no words were said to interrupt the serene feeling hovering inside. Minutes seemed infinite, yet as time passed Akane found Ranma's breathing becoming longer and deeper. Though hating to let go, she lowered his sleeping form onto her bed, realizing that he must have still been exhausted from his long journey home. Tomorrow, they could continue.

She looked down at his face and smiled. It looked tranquil; not the face of a man who had suffered continuously throughout his life, not the face of a man whose existence was controlled by chaos. Unconsciously, Akane brushed a few stray hairs from his forehead and covered him with her blanket.

As she did that, realization hit her. If Ranma was going to spend the night in her bedroom, there would be no place for her to sleep. She did not want to arouse him and carrying Ranma to his room in his boy form would be nearly impossible. Akane's only option was to find a place to sleep somewhere else for herself.

Akane did not know why, but a small voice inside of her head was telling her to stay. Akane mentally slapped herself and hurriedly silenced that voice. The thought itself was completely absurd. Why would she even want to be near that insensitive jerk? After so many years of denial, admitting her feelings was still excruciatingly tough.

Akane hesitated; partly longing to stay with Ranma, yet being afraid to openly show her feelings. If any member of her family just 'happened' to walk into her room in the morning which, as she knew, they had a routine tendency to, Akane was certain that there would be severe consequences, not too mention many uncomfortable questions.

She thought of asking Kasumi or Nabiki if she could sleep in their room, but she did not want to leave Ranma alone in case someone else wanted to visit him, as he was still weakened. Akane sighed and decided to compromise by pulling out an old futon from her closet and unrolling it next to her bed. Tomorrow, Ranma would pay for making her sleep on the floor. Akane turned off the lamp and stretched out on the futon wondering what the next day would bring.

The sun rose slowly, bringing a new day upon Nerima. A ray of bright sunlight poured through the open stutters into Akane's bedroom abruptly awakening Ranma. He opened his eyes, slightly dazed, feeling the remnants of a racking headache. He tried to remember what had happened to him and why he had awakened in a soft bed instead of an old, worn futon, to which he had grown accustomed. As the daze slowly wore off, Ranma looked around the strange space, realizing that he was in Akane's bedroom. But why? Slowly, events of the previous night came back to him. Akane loved him! She loved him! It was unrealistic, and yet it was the truth. Ranma sat up. His muscles were still sore, however, he felt well enough to be able to get up.

Ranma stood up. He smiled at Akane's sleeping form. It seemed like an eternity ago, when he last saw her asleep, the night before he left. As if on cue, Akane swung for the empty space above her, barely missing Ranma. He dodged out of the way and quietly walked to the door, trying his best not to rouse her. As he reached for the doorknob, Ranma halted. Not too far away from the door, he heard their father's voices deep in conversation. Somehow, Ranma was not surprised.

"Well, I still think that their engagement should be resumed!" he heard his father's gruff, yet somehow tired voice in the hallway.

"But Saotome-san, your son ran away like a coward! And what will we do about Ryouga?" Akane's father promptly replied.

"My boy was just trying to complete some unfinished business; besides, Ryouga has already left. By now, he must be halfway to Osaka."

"But…"

"Nonsense! You must have seen the way your daughter took care of Ranma. Something must have happened between them.! They spent a night in one room without killing each other.

That alone was enough to trigger Soun's famous waterworks, "The schools will finally be united!"

The rest of the conversation, unheard by Ranma, was continued as the fathers descended the stairs most likely to open a celebratory bottle of sake. Great. Now he and Akane were supposed to come up with an elaborate excuse for what had happened between them. They could tell their fathers that he had never woken up and slept through the night or something equally stupid which Soun and Genma were likely to believe. However, his train of thought was interrupted as he heard some shuffling and turned around to see Akane sitting up. She was wearing a wry smile, looking unkempt, still wearing the same clothes that she had worn yesterday, however at the moment, none of it mattered to him.

"Good morning," she said, looking up at him with a melancholy, yet elated look. .

"Mornin'," he replied, silently wondering if Akane was going to hurt him for making her sleep on the floor.

Akane wondered whether she should have hurt Ranma for making her sleep on the floor; it was tempting, yet she decided against it.

"So, are you fully healed?" she asked noticing that most of the cuts and bruises were barely visible.

He snorted. "As if a couple of minor injuries like that could keep me down!"

"Well, it didn't seem that way when you were passed out for almost an entire day!" Akane retorted. Ranma was back to normal all right, acting like his egotistical, arrogant self. The glared at each other as an awkward silence filled the room.

"So everything is back to the way it was before, right Akane?" he said quietly exiting the room. She could hear the sadness and regret in his voice. Yet… was it back to normal? Would they forget everything that had happened during the past months and sink back into denial? No. She would not let that happen.

"Ranma, wait! I'm sorry."

She caught up to Ranma just as he was about to descend the stairs. Though a part of her wanted to punt him into the orbit for his idiocy, she refrained herself from doing so and pulled him in to a hug. Once was enough. She was not going to make the same mistake again.

"Ranma, don't…"

………………………

Shampoo stood by the doorway into the storeroom gazing at her great-grandmother in utter fascination. She had never seen Cologne so concentrated and caught up in anything. For the past hour, Cologne had rummaged through virtually every single one of their possessions, however, as it seemed, she had yet to find the object she was looking for.

Then finally, looking as if she was on the brink of giving up, Cologne halted; squinting her eyes on a trivial wooden box the size of fist, which she had discarded a few minutes ago. Cologne smiled. She had found what she wanted.

"Great-grandmother find ancient Amazon treasure?"

Cologne nodded and slowly opened the package inside. In it lay a single transparent, glass vial encrypted with Chinese characters inside of which glittering black powder shone in the light. A small parchment was carefully placed next to it. Cologne held the vial to her face examining the characters and compared them to the writing on the parchment. Once again, she smiled.

"Soon, Shampoo. Soon Ranma will be ours."

………………………

In the Tendo household, life was going on as usual. If usual was considered to be a constant state of insanity.

Within the dojo, Ranma was slowly practicing katas, one after the next, yet his mind strayed from the art. Now that he had returned, would life return to normal? With the continuous pressuring of their fathers, Nabiki's blackmail, and everyone else that had lived the past years purely for the sake of keeping him and Akane apart, would everything just slip back to the way it was before? It was hard to tell.

Feeling frustrated and exasperated, Ranma hastily completed the last steps of the kata he had been finishing and made his way out of the dojo. Casting a sideways glance, he noticed his father and Mr. Tendo playing shogi in the living room. Things were getting back to their normal order, whether he wanted it or not.

A passing Kasumi cast Ranma a reassuring look and offered him tea. Despite his stomach's protests, Ranma declined. There were things on his mind much more important than food. He and Akane needed to talk. About them, about the other suitors, about the future. Maybe love _was_ enough to overcome mistakes of the past. Ranma thought as he reached Akane's room.

Without thinking, he opened the door only to come face to face with a surprised Akane. Her wet hair and towel-wrapped form told him that she had just come out of the bath.

And yet… at times, old habits and routines overpowered feelings like love.

"Is anyone in this family even _capable_ of knocking?" Akane screamed taking out her mallet, "You hentai!"

Some things just never change.

………………..

Ranma groaned. She pulled herself out of the koi pond into which she had landed. Her head felt as if it was cracked into a million pieces. It was partly her fault; but then again, did Akane have to throw her out of the window like that? Ranma walked up to the door of the dojo and halted. She did not want anyone to see her now; too many questions would be asked. Instead, she walked out of the yard for a midnight stroll through the streets of Nerima

…………………

Not far away, hiding quietly in the streets, a small, purple cat had spied its prey. It smiled; a smile that was almost human. It was only a matter of minutes until he would be hers.

………………………………………….

I'm done! Please people, read and review if you like this 'cause I need inspiration for faster updates. Hope you enjoyed this!

Sneak Peek at Chapter 10: Shampoo's plan and its effect


	11. CH 10: A change of heart

After much work, I give you the 10th chapter of Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai. I am pleased to announce that I had achieved nearly 6,000 hits. I give a big thank you to everyone who is reading this! Please R & R!

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**Ai Shite Nai Wake Ja Nai Chapter 10: A change of heart**

Not far away, hiding quietly in the streets, a small, purple cat had spied its prey. It smiled; a smile that was almost human. It was only a matter of minutes until he would be hers.

Leaping softly, the cat climbed an adjacent tree. With a skill, unlike a feline's, it tore open the small pouch attached to its collar watching the contents, a shimmering, black powder, drift down towards the redheaded girl walking on the streets beneath her.

The only thing Shampoo could do now was wait.

…………..

Sneezing, Ranma looked up. Her surroundings appeared ordinary and harmless, yet she knew she had felt something. Something that had made her sneeze and made her eyes water. Funny, she thought; she did not have allergies. Ranma stumbled, grabbing hold of a nearby tree for support. She could feel a dull, throbbing pulse throughout her head. All thoughts clouding, Ranma turned around and staggered back to the Tendo dojo.

She trudged upstairs, ignoring the apologetic looks of Akane, the surprised ones belonging to Kasumi, and the money signs inside Nabiki's eyes. She did not want anyone to stop her or ask questions. Sliding open the door to her room, Ranma collapsed onto the floor. The pounding inside her head persisted, followed by faint voices murmuring phrases in a language she could not comprehend. Ranma closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the pain.

…………..

Cologne took the water kettle onto the stove upon hearing Shampoo enter through the back door. For now, they would wait.

By the coming morning, the potion would take its full effects. Then, Ranma would finally belong to her Shampoo. What she had given him had been one of the strongest potions in Amazon history. It tampered with a person's feelings in a way no other potion she had ever come across was capable of, even throughout her centuries of existence.

Two trivial details Cologne left unmentioned to her great-granddaughter. The first, that the powder's true nature had been to completely reverse the victim's feelings.

Its original use had been during wartime. The Amazon elders had used it on the attacking enemy who were stopped in midair and instantly dazed by the glittering powder. When they awakened, they turned against their own, leaving the Amazons unscathed. When they attacked, it was with a hatred matching no other.

Although she denied it, Cologne knew more than she let others acknowledge. She perceived that her great-grand daughter's attempts to win Ranma's heart were futile. The time for drastic action had come.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a small, purple cat entered the kitchen of the Nekohanten. Cologne took the steaming kettle off the stove and poured the boiling water onto her great-granddaughter. Shampoo emerged, grinning. "Shampoo do as great grandmother say! Now, Airen deep deep asleep. "

"We'll see what tomorrow brings." Cologne said, smirking slightly to herself.

Tomorrow was going to be a fun day.

…………..

"Ranma, Ranma, RANMA! Wake up! It's almost noon."

Ranma sat up groggily. Had she fallen asleep on the floor? Someone outside was rapping heavily on her door, augmenting the already painful throbbing inside of her head.

"I'm up!" She yelled back, hoping that the person on the other side of the door would be satisfied with a response and would then leave her alone. Grumbling silently, she stood up, attempting to clear her mind. Funny, Ranma thought, she felt no hunger. Had it been a regular day, by this time she would have eaten enough food to keep the people in Nerima alive for weeks.

On the look out for Happousai and his daily groping, she walked out of her room and to the furo. Despite the summer heat, Ranma felt relieved splashing hot water onto her face feeling the familiar change take place. Looking looked into the mirror, he smiled despite of himself.

The problems of yesterday seemed vague and forgotten. There seemed to be more important things at stake, his dignity being at the top of the list. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he reached out at his right, purely out of instinct. Happousai, a cup of cold water still firmly in his hand, fell to the ground, dazed from the force behind Ranma's punch.

The small, conniving, pervert picked himself off the ground, looking in disdain at the small puddle of the cold water that had spilled from his cup. "Whaaa! You ungrateful boy! How could you deny an old man his pleasures?" He whimpered bitterly. "You are unworthy of the Saotome-ryu and everything it stands for!"

He waited, but no insult from Ranma came. Much to both Ranma's and Happousai's surprise, Ranma fell to his knees in a deep bow. Not looking up, he muttered a heartfelt apology about his actions to the grandmaster and with another deep bow exited the room. Happousai remained standing, stupefied and in disbelief of what he had just witnessed. Finally, Happousai pinched himself to confirm reality. A sharp pain told him that he was not dreaming Ranma had just apologized, with no words of challenge, insults, or hint of sarcasm.

Maybe it was going to be a lucky day, Happousai thought. Hoping his fortune would hold, he headed for the public baths.

…………..

Ranma could find no explanation for what had happened. It was as if another person from within acted in his place. All his rage and annoyance seemed to disappear, replaced with respect. Respect? It was a strange feeling unknown to him. Whatever had happened, he did not like it.

Ding! A familiar bicycle ring was heard downstairs. Though Ranma's first instinct had been to run to the farthest corner of the house in order to avoid being squeezed half to death by Shampoo, his body took him to the noise. Shampoo emerged from the cloud of dust formed by her bicycle going through a wall. Upon setting her eyes on Ranma, she grinned, noticing that he was slowly coming towards her. Without even a second to consider, she latched herself onto him.

A small voice told Ranma he was acting irrational, yet it grew fainter and was entirely silenced by the Amazon magic after a last futile attempt. As she felt Ranma's tensed up body relax in her grip, Shampoo knew he was hers.

Akane, who had been practicing in the dojo, walked out upon hearing the sounds of a large crash. She watched the entire scene in a mortified silence. A thick, red battle aura emanated from within her, veiling Akane. How could that idiot dare to act so nonchalant towards Shampoo? Why, that two-faced, lying….

"You jerk!" She yelled out, as her eyes filled with tears. He did not turn to look at her.

Akane wondered, why had he not jumped away from Shampoo and begun muttering heated deanials. Had he lied to her about his feelings? No. Ranma was not one to do that. Then something must have gone awry. She watched as Ranma walked out of the Tendo house with Shampoo. She had seen far too many Amazon plots; enough to know that for every potion there was an antidote.

Unfortunately, she did not know the second detail Cologne left unmentioned o Shampoo: Once Ranma took the potion, there could be no doing back.

"Ranma wait! What are you doing?" She lunged for his arm, but he shook it free without the slightest problem. Turning around, he looked at Akane. What she saw in his eyes chilled her heart.

…………..

Minna-san, I hope this was worth waiting for. Wow, I entirely forgot about my fanfic. Thank you for your kind reviews, they reminded me that I have a story to write and kept me going! The 11th chapter will come much sooner than this, I promise, as I am eager to start on my next fanfic.

As for now, I will appreciate any and all feedback from you!

Sneak peek at Chapter 11: Only one thing can defy an Amazon potion. We'll soon know what.


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